


Tempest

by sunstruckskye



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Post-Apocalypse, Angst, Bisexual Lance (Voltron), F/M, M/M, Multi, Romance, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-28
Updated: 2017-07-09
Packaged: 2018-11-20 01:59:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,677
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11326302
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunstruckskye/pseuds/sunstruckskye
Summary: The world as we know it is in ruins. Automatons have bathed the world in blood and only get stronger as time goes on. It's up to a rebel camp, and its elite team Voltron, to uncover the horrors of the machines or die trying.Lance perspective: this story will be full of action and angst, but there will be fluff as well scattered throughout.





	1. My House is not a Home

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone! Okay so this is my first fanfiction and I took the plot from a book I had previously been writing. There should be weekly updates, and I hope you all enjoy it!

I wake up to the sound of heavy rain against my window. It's pitch black outside and for a second my small heart leaps as I imagine what could be out there. I calm down almost immediately though as the rain soothes my mind; water has always had that effect on me. I start to relax when a feeling of dread curls into my stomach; if it wasn't the rain that woke me up then what was it. I bolt up and strain my ears for any weird sounds when a clicking sound comes from the hallway.

My heart leaps into my throat and I quickly search my room for a weapon of any kind; but see only my little brother Marco in his bed asleep and the various action figures we had been playing with. Another series of clicks comes from the hall, and I realize whatever it is is heading towards my parents' room. Ever so quietly I get out of my bed and scurry across my room, my socks helping muffle my feet. The second I open my door I hear screams from my mother and thrashing around. 

Panicking, I freeze as I stand in the hallway and see my mother running, as much as she can with her round belly, towards me. There's something oozing down her face, and as she grabs my hand a deathly silence entombs the house. She pushes open my sisters' door and yells for Renae to hide, then the clicking begins again. I could feel her fear as she pulls me with her and we run towards my dad's study. I finally have the courage to speak,

“Mami, what's going on? Where's Papi? Why does-” but she quickly shushes me.

“Lance, baby, I need you to be quiet right now” I close my mouth as she pushes open the heavy study door. I hear screams coming from my siblings and notice tears streaming down my mother's face. “Go lock the door baby.” I do quickly as she hobbles to the other side of the room.

Turning back around I try again for answers,“M-Mami-” but again I'm cut off as my mother lifts the rug up from the floor, revealing a small trap door. As she lifts the latch I am again met with quiet throughout the house, and fat hot tears fall down my face. 

“Lance come here, quickly now.” I don't even take a step before the horrid clicking returns, right outside the door. Now that it's so close, it sounds just like metal scraping against itself. I run to my mother who helps me down a set of steps into a small room. Her bulging stomach makes it so difficult that even I can tell how tired she already is. Then the pounding starts. The thing behind the door hits the wood with such force the echo sounds like that of a large bell, and it doesn't stop. With the pounding ringing in my ears my mother leans down and gently caresses my cheek, “You must be quiet down here.” the door begins to splinter and I can here the hinges start to give, “I love you so much Lance” wood sprays into the room “I'm going to get your brother and sisters and everything will be okay, I promise.” She gives me a smile so soft that for a moment I believe her, but in that last moment lightning makes her face shine and I can finally see the thick blood coating one side of it.

And then the darkness engulfs me.

I stand there frozen once more as I hear the rug dropping back into place followed a second later by a giant crash that rattles the floorboards above my head. The clicks are so fast and loud, they echo through my head and make me cringe. The tears come back quick as I hear my mother's scream get cut off by a sickening crunch, followed by a small thump, and all goes silent.

I stand there, hardly daring to breathe, when the awful clicking finally moves on and leaves the room. I try and wait but the silence is too much, and I push on the door. The rug makes it even heavier than it should have been, but it slides off with a soft thump and I'm able to lock the door in place. Quickly I look around the room before my eyes fall on something along the back wall. I make my way over slowly and cautiously until I recognize my mother's nightgown. I take only two steps closer before my foot grows warm and wet. My heart beats so fast as I look down that I'm sure this is what grown ups mean when they talk about a heart attack. My foot is surrounded by something thick and dark, darker even than the floor at night. I can't breathe as I look towards my mother, and another lightning strike flashes upon her; longer than should be natural.

She's lying face up, blank eyes staring at nothing, and her mouth is slack; no longer forming that ever so soft smile. Then my blue eyes scan over her chest, now caved in and pooling out the blood I'm standing in. That's what it is, blood, leaving my favorite lion socks soaked in red. I don't feel the tears on my cheeks, or hear the clicking enter the room. I register nothing but my mother until cold metallic hands grip around my small arms. Suddenly it hits me that I'm being carried away, and I scream. I scream so loud and long that my throat already hurts but I don't stop. 

I see nothing of the thing holding me except for its hands; made up of wires and completely metal fingers and joints. I scream for my parents, for my siblings, for anyone to save me; but only the sounds of the rain and the clicking answer back. We go outside and I'm immediately soaked by the freezing rain, but its grip does not loosen. My screams turn to cries and I'm swept away by the horror of it all; losing myself already to grief. 

Suddenly we stop and I fall from the thing towards the ground; scraping my hands and knees on the rough gravel. I turn quickly to see a man, tall as can be, slicing my captor to pieces with a large sword. He had shockingly orange hair against the dark sky. Then my eyes fixed upon the thing that had taken me.

It wasn't a human but an automaton of sorts.

It was tall, taller than the man with the orange hair, and had a strange build. Purple tinted skin stretched tight across a head, leaving sharp wicked features. There was no mouth or hair, and in replace of eyes; dull yellow sockets sunk into its head. It's body was sleek and agile, like that of a cat, and made up of iron rods that formed its shape. There was no coverings, besides the face, so you could see right through its torso and upper arms. The rest of the body was covered in a strange, thick material that held joints in place.

I could do nothing but stare at the awful creature as he fought the man unsuccessfully, for with every stroke of his sword, the man cut away more of the creature. The thing toppled with the loss of one of its legs and the man swung one leg up, holding a foot against its shoulder. Dropping his sword he then wrapped his hands around its neck and pulled. The head let out a disgusting pop, but he continued to pull until wires leaked out of its metal frame with the head. Seeming satisfied he kicked away the abomination and picked up his sword before turning towards me. 

I become almost lost in my fear, not knowing what was to come next, and look down at my cut up hands. I can hear him coming closer with every footstep against the gravel until the tips of his boots are just in my line of sight. The sound of metal sliding against metal makes me jump until I realize he must have put his sword away. Him kneeling in front of me is what gets me to look up, to see kind eyes and a mustache just as shockingly orange as his hair. “Lance, can you stand? Did that.. creature hurt you in any way?”   
My heart races once more “How do you know my name?” I can hear the fear in my own voice, but try and act like it's not there. He looks back at the silent house and gives me a sad smile,

“My name's Coran, I was a colleague of your dads. We've met a few times before but you were just a wee thing, it's perfectly all right if you don't remember.” He extends his hand, and I slowly take it, letting him help me stand. It's only then that I realize the rain's let up and is barely a drizzle now. I look up at the man then back at the house, but before I can ask anything he answers my unspoken questions, “I'll be back to look through the house for any of your family, see if they're still alive.” He pauses for hardly a second, but I hear it and know he doesn't think it likely. “Right now we need to get you to safety, it's too dangerous to be out in the open like this.” I nod and silently follow Coran away from the house that is no longer my home.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's been 10 years since the day of The Great Raid, and the anniversary goes down as well as you'd expect.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late chapter! Holiday week was insanely busy! This chapter is much longer thank the first, and I hope you enjoy it!

The dream and memories are still so vivid and jarring in my mind, that when I wake up I half expect to be in my old room. But the gray walls and minimal furniture tell me that I'm in the Garrison.

I feel like I'm on autopilot as I reach over to the watch on my nightstand and check the time and date; 7:58am on June 30th, 2037. I've long since been surprised by the nightmares around this time of year, the day of The Great Raid, when almost everyone was slaughtered. Sighing I get up and stretch while putting the heavy watch on my wrist. It had been my dad's prized possession, so when Coran brought it back with him after searching my house I nearly cried out of joy.

Walking into the bathroom I'm met with a dim reflection of myself, all puffy eyes and pale tint to my skin. God I wish there were face masks still around. And my eyes! All bloodshot around the blue irises; how was a guy supposed to make the ladies swoon looking like this! With a 'humph' and quick splash of cold water to the face, I got out of there quick to get dressed. Breakfast was at 8:15 and soldiers are never late. I take one the assigned uniforms from my closet and slip it on.

Our uniforms are a skintight black and gray one-piece suit covered in flexible, tough armor. Purple, thin, long lights go along the chest, neck, and spine (we found that the automaton's yellow eyes can't see purple very well). My best friends Hunk and Pidge worked together to create the suit so that our rebel soldiers would be able to move as freely, but safely, as the automatons. They've saved countless lives.

I can already smell the coffee as I make my way downstairs from the dorms, and thank my lucky stars that it's no longer viewed as a luxury thanks to the greenhouses deep downstairs. It's just a few minutes until breakfast and you can tell from the collective hunger coming from everyone's faces. I spot Hunk almost immediately by the flash of bright orange amongst the black; the big guy insists that he wear his orange headband when not on a mission, even though it totally clashed. I'm a few feet away when I notice that he's talking to someone I don't know, and I knew everyone. He had a toned build beneath his suit, pale skin, dark hair, and...was that a mullet?!? I know it's the end of the world, but come on, a mullet? Billy Ray Cyrus died and so did that 'do. 

“Hey Hunk, who's the mullet?” I can feel the shit eating grin on my face falter as I'm able to see the new guy's face clearly; he was Asian in some way, with dark blue eyes and features too soft for a boy but too hard for a girl. He was pretty and the fact punched me in the heart. 

Hunk didn't seem to notice the assault on my heart, and carried right along, “Lance, this is Keith, a new recruit Coran just picked up late last night. Keith, this is Lance, one of the top soldiers here at the Garrison.” My heart swelled back into normalcy with the info drop. Keith however seemed confused,

“I thought this was a rebel base? What's a Garrison?”

Both Hunk and I chuckled at the common question, “This is Coran's bunker, you know that guy who picked you up? Well he had this built when he was part of the government's scientist program, mainly out of caution, thank God. It was called the rebel base for awhile, but that was just too Star Wars ya know? So when me, Hunk, and a few others were younger we decided to call it the Garrison instead; have a cool little nickname only insiders would know about.” I state, with only a hint of pride, but the confusion only seems to have grown in Keith's eyes. I tilt my head at the odd look and am about to question what he didn't understand when I'm effectively cut off.

By an explosion.

At the back wall full of people.

My mind is spinning by the sudden noise and I'm choking on the heaps of dust and debris in the air. I kick into soldier mode anyway, and scan the area around me the best that I can; there's bodies everywhere, too many to count right now, and screams fill the air along with something that makes the hair on my neck stick straight up. The uncanny clicking of an automaton. 

And then I spot them, yellow glows and hulking black shapes amongst the dust. On instinct I reach for my gun, only to find my back empty. 'I'm defenseless, we all are.' I realize too late as an automaton rushes towards me; their clawed hand raises and slashes down right where my head had been only a moment ago. I'm quick but without a weapon I'm dead meat. I don't have time to think about where Hunk and Keith could've gone as I frantically search for anything in the kitchen.

My lungs ache with every breath but if I stop I die. The insistent clicks ring out behind me and I drop into a crouch as I avoid yet another lethal attack, but I don't hesitate as I kick my foot back and into the monster's knee; effectively bringing it down for the moment. I don't waste my chance as I lunge for the large cleaver hanging on the wall. I know I'm not fast enough, and spin and duck, avoiding their hand which punches clean into the wall, and bring the knife hard and fast up through the jaw and halfway through the feline face before stopping, stuck. That was my last and only chance.

Time seems to slow as they throw their hand back to strike. 'It's only fitting that it be today that I go' is what I think before a black blur jumps around the things neck. It's the distraction I needed, and I sidestep out of the way, but not completely as they still scrape their hand against my shoulder. A hiss is all that escapes me as I look up and see Keith on the monster's shoulders, his calves bound tightly against its neck and hands wrapped around its face. “Keith, wait-!” I'm cut off as Keith yanks the head clean off, almost effortlessly, then jumping to another and doing it again.

I'm stunned. I'm in the middle of a battle and can't move as my mind goes a million miles an hour. Even Hunk and Shiro, two of our strongest soldiers, could never dispatch an automaton that fast and precise without first getting rid of a limb or two. That brief time of not moving instantly works against me as yet another automaton rushes me. But this time I'm ready. I slide the cleaver out of the others' face and whirl it around with all my strength and speed to bury it deep within the monster's chest. A thick oily substance pours out on my arms and hands when I remove the cleaver, but I pay it no mind as I slide to the back of the automaton and cut down deep into the nape of its neck; effectively bringing it down enough that I can wrap my arms around its head and pull it clean off. I can feel the thick mass of wires slide out of its cage-like body and internally shudder. It felt much too alive when that happened. The action makes my shoulder throb however and I quickly drop the head.

Looking around the room I see the last of the automatons being quickly dispatched with weapons someone must've brought down. There's a moment of relief before I remember the injured and look for anyone I might know. It's selfish, but they're the only ones I care about now in this world. I spot Hunk fast, for once blessing his headband, helping Pidge out of some of the rubble. She looks shaken but overall okay. I start to calm down for a fraction of a second when a mess of white rushes past me.

“SHIRO!” Allura's distinct accent almost echoes throughout the room and I follow where she runs to find Shiro laying in an alarmingly large pool of blood. I quickly go over to help, my heart in my throat.  
“Is he...?”

“He's alive but barely, we need to get him to the medical wing now. Lance, help me carry him.” I can tell she's slightly shaking as she lifts up his left arm and slings it over her shoulder, but make no comment. I try to do as she instructs but freeze and look over to her,

“Allura, his arm it's... it's completely gone...” She doesn't seem surprised, but saying it out loud makes tears spring up into her eyes.

“I know Lance, that's why we need to move immediately.” I don't hesitate a moment longer as I wrap my arms around his waist, propping his underarm on top of my shoulder, but not letting Allura know of my injury. We walk as fast as we dare through the rubble, sidestepping bodies, until we finally reach a clearing to the medical wing. I can feel Shiro's warm blood seeping into my suit the entire way there.

***

 

After dropping Shiro and Allura off at their room to get treated immediately, I got my own shoulder looked after. Stubborn pride had no business here. It was a pretty shallow cut considering what it could've been, but the dust and oil had made it alarmingly dirty. So some pungent medicine and a few thick bandages later, and I was heading back up to the destruction. I pass so many people going in and out of the wing it almost made me dizzy.

The smell of dust and blood hang heavy in the air. There's already engineers, Hunk being one of them, repairing the hole in the wall. It's just a patch job until they can get some heavy metal in here but it'll be hard to find. The hole is a weak point now as well, we'll need to do constant patrols.

Anyone that can help is clearing away the debris and/or pulling the dead off to the side. The broken automatons are already gone, hauled away for their spare parts. My eyes fall on Coran and I quickly make it over to him. 

“What's the damage?” It sounds insensitive but there's no time for beating around the bush.

A deep sigh “23 dead, mainly from the explosion. We counted 16 automaton bodies, but don't know if there were any others.” Shock immediately fills me, not only from the sheer number of automatons, but from the sheer lack of deaths. 

“16?! How did so many of us survive?”

“Hunk was able to gather anyone not already down here, and bring any weapons they could carry. But the biggest help came from a new recruit.” At this Coran twisted his face into that of disbelief.

“That guy Keith?” The images of him taking down the monsters swam through my mind. “He's good, but how much damage could he have possibly done?”

“Well, if our accounts, and therefore numbers, are correct, then he was able to take down 10 before Hunk arrived with the weapons.” 

I opened and closed my mouth several times, not being able to find words for the miraculous feat. “Coran! That's incredible! How are you not more excited about this?!” But still the disbelief stayed on his face and I could sense something bad coming. “Coran, did something else happen?” I drop my voice so none of the others can hear.

“It's just, there's something not right about all this. The timing of it all, where the bomb was placed, all the automatons that came.” His voice was nearly a whisper at this point, “I fear we may have a traitor amongst us.”

I don't speak as I mull over what Coran has just said. Surely none of us would've done something like this? Some of us had been here for years, had fought side by side together. Then something enters my peripheral vision, and I turn my head to see Keith walking towards us.

“Oh...”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dun dun dun, plot twist ;) 
> 
> Thank you for reading so far! A new chapter will be up by this Tuesday! Please leave kudos and comments, they are greatly appreciated.

**Author's Note:**

> This was more of a background chapter, and all others will be taking place in today's time. Thank you for reading and if you would please leave comments and kudos, that would be greatly appreciated :)
> 
> (If you notice any mistakes I will fix them so please point out an you see!)


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